THE FARMER'S STANDARD OF LIVING 41 
larger span of years in each of these latter cases is necessary to accom- 
modate families supporting the larger number of children with corre- 
spondingly wider ranges of ages. Even with the extended age 
groups, not all families could be classified definitely into any one 
group. A few were placed in those groups within which the average 
of the ages of all the children fell. 
The average value of family living increases noticeably with 
increased age of children per family, as grouped arbitrarily. For 
families supporting one child this increase is less regular than for 
families supporting two children. For families supporting more 
children about the same rate of variation is shown between the 
average values of goods used in each instance. Relatively these 
averages for the higher age groups are between 123 and 131, with 
the averages for the lower age groups taken as 100 in each case. 
Variation in the distribution of the value of goods among the prin- 
cipal groups of goods with regard to advanced ages is of interest. 
There is evidence of a slight tendency for the percentages of the 
total value of family living devoted to food, to the maintenance of 
health, and to insurance, to decrease with advancing age groups. 
On the other hand, the percentages of the total value of goods devoted 
to clothing and to advancement tend to increase with increased ages 
of the children. The percentages of the total going for the other 
kinds of goods tend to vary without regard to advanced ages of the 
children. 
The percentages of the value of all goods and of food and opera- 
tion goods furnished by the farm and purchased remain practically 
constant as the age groups of children advance. 
The decrease in the percentage for food and the increases in the 
percentages for clothing and advancement are indicative of a higher 
standard of living among the families supporting older children. 
This, of course, may be due to greater ability to provide by virtue 
of the contribution of more workers and longer periods of farming. 
AGES OF OPERATOR AND HOME MAKER 
Undoubtedly, the ages of the operator and of the home maker bear 
some relation to the demands and desires for the goods of family 
living. The extent of this relation is extremely difficult to determine 
in view of the many counteracting influences, such as providing for 
children of different ages and supporting other dependents, in some 
instances. Without allowance for the influence of other factors, the 
relations of the age of the home maker is shown in Table 13. 
